Debate over ‘sir’, ‘madam’ reaches SHRC
The Hindu
Commission registers case following complaint by an activist
The State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has filed a case in connection with the ongoing debate over the issue of using the salutation ‘sir’ and ‘madam.’
The SHRC registered the case following a complaint by rights activist Boban Mattumantha, who was in the forefront of a campaign against the use of expressions from the colonial period asserting the authority of those in governance. Several civic bodies across the State came forward to drop the use of ‘sir’ and ‘madam’ as part of the campaign, which continues to gain momentum.
Aasheesh Pittie says birdwatching is not very unlike hunting, except that nothing is killed. “You track… you want to follow the bird… see it,” he says about this activity that he has pursued for nearly fifty years. Pittie, the editor of the ornithological journal Indian Birds, author of many classic reference books about birds and most recently, a collection of bird essays titled The Living Air: Pleasures of Birds and Birdwatching, was speaking at an event organised by the Archives of the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS).